Sour Beers

The mystery in keg C.

The other day I was checking on the progress of a beer in my fermentation chamber when I looked at a carboy full of liquid and realized I didn't know what beer it was.  I had to look back through my notes to figure out that it was a recently brewed Pale Ale. As my brewing has gotten more and more complicated and beers are placed in long-term fermentation/aging, it's become a natural necessity to begin keeping a more precise timeline of each beer's evolution.  For most of the traditional beers I make the BrewBlog I keep suffices, but for the sour beers, whose character changes so significantly over time, the page entries below clarify their development and help me avoid mistakes. Beers are listed youngest to oldest.

DREGS #10: Mikkeller - Spontankoppi

Brew Date: April 10, 2013 - Recipe

Base Beer: The Lurker Chocolate Peanut Butter Coffee Porter


About: When brewing The Lurker, I adjusted my yield to retain an additional 2 gallons of wort post-boil.  After chilling, one gallon of the wort was innoculated with the dregs from one bottle of Mikkller Spontankoppi.

Timeline:

04/10/13: Brew day.  One gallon of base beer innoculated with dregs from a bottle of Mikkeller Spontankoppi.

04/16/13: Slowly fermenting.

DREGS #9: Brouwerij Girardin - Gueuze Girardin 1882

Brew Date: April 10, 2013 - Recipe

Base Beer: The Lurker Chocolate Peanut Butter Coffee Porter
About: When brewing The Lurker, I adjusted my yield to retain an additional 2 gallons of wort post-boil.  After chilling, one gallon of the wort was innoculated with the dregs from one bottle of Brouwerij Girardin Gueuze Girardin 1882.

Timeline:

04/10/13: Brew day.  One gallon of base beer innoculated with dregs from a bottle of Brouwerij Girardin Gueuze Girardin 1882.

04/16/13: No visible fermentation.

3 Fountains 100% Brett IPA

Brew Date: March 19, 2013 - Recipe

About: Half of a split batch IPA recipe with the other half receiving Edinburgh Ale Yeast.  

Timeline:

03/19/13: Brew day.  Pitched chilled wort on top of yeast cake.

03/22/13: Rapid fermentation.

03/27/13: Transferred to secondary, first dry hop addition.  Gravity =1.012
03/30/13: Second dry hop addition.

Red Dwarf Flanders Red

Brew Date: February 18, 2013 - Recipe

About: This recipe is exactly the same as my third Flanders Red (Red Giant), even using the same yeast cake.  I allowed Red Giant to sit on the cake for an extended period of time.  This beer will have more limited contact time with the yeast and I plan to add tart cherries in secondary.  Planning to use this in the next blending session along with the remainder of Farmer's Daughter, Red Giant and any other Flanders Reds as yet unbrewed.

Timeline:

02/18/13: Brew day with Eric and Chris at Chris's house.  Pitched chilled wort on top of yeast cake the next day.

02/21/13: Activity in the airlock.

DREGS #8: Gueuzerie Tilquin - Oude Gueze Tilquin á L'Ancienne

Brew Date: December 21, 2012 - Recipe
Base Beer: Carnelian Red Rye IPA
About: When brewing Carnelian Red Rye IPA, I adjusted my yield to retain an additional gallon of wort post-boil.  After chilling, the wort was innoculated with the dregs from one bottle of Oude Gueze Tilquin á L'Ancienne.

Timeline:

12/21/12: Brew day.  One gallon of base beer innoculated with dregs from a bottle of Oude Gueze Tilquin á L'Ancienne.

DREGS #7: Goose Island - Sofie

Brew Date: October 21, 2012 - Recipe
Base Beer: Surranes Lambic
About: When brewing Surranes Lambic, I adjusted my yield to retain an additional gallon of wort post-boil.  After chilling, the wort was innoculated with the dregs from one bottle of Goose Island Sofie.

Timeline:

10/21/12: Brew day.  One gallon of base beer innoculated with dregs from a bottle of Goose Island Sofie.
11/10/12: Actively fermenting.  Pellicle formed almost immediately.

Surranes Lambic

Brew Date: October 21, 2012 - Recipe

About: Brewed as the first in a yearly series of three, this lambic was my first successful decoction mash.  The simple grain bill follows traditional lambic recipe building.  I plan to brew two additional lambics at one year intervals for blending into gueze.  Hopefully a portion of this first lambic will be combined with fruit (Cabernet grapes or perhaps cherries) to make a fruit lambic when the time is right.

Timeline:

10/21/12: Brew day.  Pitched Roselare Belgian Blend after chilling and aerating..

10/23/12: Steady airlock activity observed.

04/05/14: Transferred off the yeast cake.  Super clear, tart and acidic.

Red Giant Flanders Red

Brew Date: October 13, 2012 - Recipe

About: This third Flanders Red utilized all of the remaining yeast harvested after the blending of Crumple Car and Farmer's Daughter with Lewy's beers.  There's a large amount of Roselare as well as numerous different dregs yeast pitches.  I focused on Vienna Malt for base flavor and made sure there was significant wheat presence.  As before, I used aged Perle hops as mild bittering agents.  Planning to use this in the next blending session along with the remainder of Farmer's Daughter and additional Flanders Reds as of yet unbrewed.

Timeline:

10/13/12: Brew day.  Pitched chilled wort on top of yeast cake.

10/16/12: Airlock activity finally begins.

02/17/13: Transferred to secondary.

Chad Y's 100% Brett B Baltic Porter + Raw Honey

Brew Date: May 20, 2012 - Recipe

About: A 100% Brettanomyces beer using White Labs Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois, which contains multiple Brett B strains.  Base recipe is taken almost directly from Chad Yakobson's recipe in the May/June 2012 issue of Zymurgy.  Hop changes and the addition of honey are the alterations I made.  Expectation of big tropical fruit in the final flavor.

Timeline:

05/11/12: Yeast starter created with WLP644.

05/20/12: Brew day.  Pitched WLP644 Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois after chilling.

05/21/12: Nine hours after pitching, massive fermentation blow-off observed.

08/31/12: Solo tasting:  very clean overall flavor with beautiful fruity esters present from the Brett.  Roasted dryness and mild (balanced) hop character.

09/06/12: Bottled with a little more than half a cup of sugar.  Yield of eleven 22 ounce bottles and twenty 12 ounce bottles.

Crumple Car Flanders Red

Brew Date: April 29, 2012 - Recipe

About: This is my second attempt at Flanders Red and I tried to keep things simple.  A very straightforward grain bill, and aged Perle hops leave a lot of room for Wyeast's Roselare Yeast Blend to assert itself.  Planning to age this beer for an extended time period and blend it when appropriate.

Timeline:

04/29/12: Brew day.  Pitched Wyeast Roselare Blend after chilling.

05/15/12: Airlock activity has slowed.  Transfer to secondary soon.
05/19/12: Transferred to secondary.  Gravity = 1.012.
06/05/12: Added approximately two ounces of medium toast American oak cubes from the KTG fermentation.  Cubes had soaked in bourbon and then spent three months in KTG. 
09/22/12: Blended with Farmer's Daughter and other Flanders Reds (with Lewy) to make three distinct beers plus a remaining blend for next year. 

DREGS #6: Green Flash - Rayon Vert

Brew Date: March 28, 2012 - Recipe
Base Beer: Citra Inyo Pale Ale
About: While brewing Citra Inyo Pale Ale, I did an additional small sparge, gathering an extra gallon of wort.  I added one cup of light DME to the runnings and did a mini boil on my kitchen stove, adding only one addition of aged Perle hops at initial boil.  The wort was innoculated with the dregs from two bottles of Green Flash Rayon Vert.

Timeline:

03/28/12: Brew day.  One gallon of base beer innoculated with dregs from a bottle of Green Flash Rayon Vert.
04/21/12: Steady air lock action.
04/16/13: Bottled with a small amount of table sugar.  Yield of seven 12 ounce bottles.

Senne Valley Saison

Brew Date: February 10, 2012 - Recipe
About: This beer was created with inspiration from Green Flash's Rayon Vert.  The beer was fermented with Wyeast 3711-French Saison yeast and then innoculated with WLP 650-Brettanomyces Bruxellensis near the end of fermentation.  The result should be spicy yeast character with a touch of farmhouse that is only slightly detectable but becomes more pronounced with age.

Timeline:

02/10/12: Brew day.  Pitched Wyeast 3711 after chilling.
02/13/12: Rapid fermentation at room temperature (70).
02/26/12: Gravity = 1.004.  Pitched WLP 650.
03/31/12: Pellicle observed.  Fermentation progressing slowly.
04/23/12: Gravity = .999.
04/28/12: Bottled using rehydrated champagne yeast and 1/2 cup of table sugar.  Yield of twelve 12 ounce bottles and eighteen 22 ounce bottles.
05/14/12: First bottle tasting-I'm blown away.  Spicy, yeasty, crisp, refreshing with a tinge of Brett-exactly what I wanted.

DREGS #5: The Bruery - Saison de Lente

Brew Date: February 4, 2012 - Recipe
Base Beer: Kate The Great RIS clone
About: While brewing the Kate the Great clone, my final volume was 1/2 gallon too high.  I diluted the extra half gallon with another .4 gallons of water before pitching the dregs from a bottle of The Bruery Saison de Lente.

Timeline:

02/04/12: Brew day.  One gallon of base beer innoculated with dregs from a bottle of The Bruery Saison de Lente.
02/10/12: Airlock action indicating steady fermentation.
03/15/12: No change.
04/16/13: Bottled with a small amount of table sugar.  Yield of seven 12 ounce bottles.

DREGS #4: Orval

Brew Date: December 21, 2012 - Recipe
Base Beer: Low Country Belgian Pale Ale
About: In brewing Low Country Belgian Pale Ale, the recipe was adjusted to yield seven gallons post boil, leaving two gallons for dregs beers. One gallon was innoculated with the dregs from two bottles of Orval.

Timeline:

12/21/12: Brew day.  One gallon of base beer innoculated with dregs from a bottle of Orval.
12/23/12: No action.
01/15/12: Pellicle observed.  Fermentation progressing slowly.
04/28/12: Gravity = 1.004.  Some tartness and barnyard but much milder than Drie Fonteinen.
09/06/12: Bottled with 1/2 tsp sugar per 12 ounce bottle.  Yield seven 12 ounce bottles.

DREGS #3: Drie Fonteinen - Oude Gueze

Brew Date: December 21, 2012 - Recipe
Base Beer: Low Country Belgian Pale Ale
About: In brewing Low Country Belgian Pale Ale, the recipe was adjusted to yield seven gallons post boil, leaving two gallons for dregs beers. One gallon  was innoculated with the dregs from a bottle of Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueze.

Timeline:

12/21/12: Brew day.  One gallon of base beer innoculated with dregs from a bottle of Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueze.
12/23/12: Krausen observed.
01/18/12: Thick pellicle blanketing the beer as fermentation continues steadily.
04/28/12: Gravity = 1.006.  Tastes extremely funky and tart with a huge barnyard flavor.
09/06/12: Bottled with 1/2 tsp sugar per 12 ounce bottle.  Yield seven 12 ounce bottles.

DREGS #2: Oud Beersel - Oude Gueze Vielle

Brew Date: November 12, 2011 - Recipe
Base Beer: Farmer's Daughter Flanders Red
About: While brewing Farmer's Daughter Flanders Red, an additional sparge and subsequent addition of Amber DME created four gallons of additional wort, one gallon of which was innoculated with the dregs from a bottle of Oud Beersel Oude Gueze Vielle.

Timeline:

11/12/11: Brew day.  One gallon of base beer innoculated with dregs from a bottle of Oud Beersel Oude Gueze Vielle.
11/16/11: Very slight fermentation observed.  Aerated again and yeast roused.
12/29/11: Slowly fermenting.  Small pellicle observed.
01/27/12: Gravity = 1.018.
03/02/12: Gravity = 1.008.
03/29/12: Bottled without additional sugar or yeast.  Need to be careful to check carbonation level and avoid bottle bombs. Yield of eight 12 ounce bottles.
04/16/13: Beautifully clear with a clean fresh nose reminiscent of wet hay.  Golden orange and lightly effervescent.  Complex fruit and barnyard characters.  Nicely funky and tart but not in the extreme.  Dry and digestible.

DREGS #1: Ommegang - Biere de Mars

Brew Date: November 12, 2011 - Recipe
Base Beer: Farmer's Daughter Flanders Red
About: While brewing Farmer's Daughter Flanders Red, an additional sparge and subsequent addition of Amber DME created four gallons of additional wort, one gallon of which was innoculated with the dregs from a bottle of Ommegang Biere de Mars.

Timeline:

11/12/11: Brew day.  One gallon innoculated with dregs from Ommegand Biere de Mars.
11/16/11: Rapid fermentation observed.  
12/29/11: Fermentation appears complete.  Gravity = 1.002.
01/08/12: Tastes a little thin but clean with a tinge of Brett.  Gravity = 1.000.
02/10/12: Bottled using champagne yeast and a tsp of sugar in each bottle.  Yield of nine 12 ounce bottles.
03/27/12: Taste of Brett and muted malt character at low alcohol.  Like an entry level sour.  Easy to drink and clean.

Farmer's Daughter Flanders Red

Brew Date: November 12, 2011 - Recipe
About: This 10 gallon split batch was made with Lewy.  The concept behind this beer was to ferment each 5 gallons with different yeasts and processES applied.  When fermentation was complete and the beer was ready, we would blend them to add complexity. 

Timeline:

11/12/11: Brew day.  5 gallons innoculated with Safale US-05 and WLP 655-Sour Mix 1.
12/08/11: Transferred to secondary for longer term aging/fermentation.  Gravity = 1.016.
01/05/12: Thin pellicle observed.
02/18/12: Tastes and smells very funky, farmhouse, horsey but not especially sour.  Pellicle dropping away.  Gravity = 1.008.
03/01/12: Pellicle gone.
04/18/12: Tasted (with Lewy).  Still barnyard in the nose and taste but cleaning up a little bit.
08/24/12: Racked onto ten+ pounds of crushed cabernet grapes from Steve's father.
09/22/12: Blended with Crumple Car and other Flanders Reds (with Lewy) to make three distinct beers plus a remaining blend for next year.